Selection method and apparatus for indexing documents and the like with extreme rapidity



June 4, 1963 F. JONKER 3,092,114

SELECTION METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INDEXING DOCUMENTS AND THE LIKE WITH EXTREME RAPIDITY 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 9, 1956 June 4, 1963 F. JONKER 4 SELECTION METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INDEXING DOCUMENTS AND THE LIKE WITH EXTREME RAPIDITY 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 9, 1956 Eluuunuumnnuuuu June 4, 1963 F. JONKER 3,092,114

SELECTION METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR INDEXING DOCUMENTS AND THE LIKE WITH EXTREME RAPIDITY Filed May 9, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 United States Patent Ofiice 3,0-92,l 14 Patented June 4, 1963 SELECTION METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR IN- DEXING DDCUMENTS AND THE LIKE WITH EXTREME lDlTY Frederick Jonker, Takoma Park, Md., assignor to Jonker Business Machines, Inc., a corporation of Delaware Filed May 9, 1956, Ser. No. 583,774 4 Claims. (Cl. 129-161) This invention is a modification of my co-pending patent application Serial No. 366,543, filed July 7, 1953, now abandoned. The present invention pertains to indexing systems of the same general nature but oifers a considerably simplified and less expensive construction and much faster operation.

The present invention as well as my co-pending patent application pertains to information retrieval systems utilizing cards dedicated to terms, where each card has an area dedicated to each item in the information collection. Systems of this nature can be characterized as the inverse of the Well-known Hollerith systems where cards are dedicated to items and the terms punched out on the cards.

Said co-pending patent application describes a greatly improved system of this nature having a limited amount of cards dedicated to alphabetic characters or other symbols, which provides for automatic selection of all cards required for an information search or to enter an item of information. In this system all cards are stored in a random manner and the cards are selected by a mechanical selection device.

My present invention pertains to this same type of device but it provides a greatly simplified and less expensive construction and much faster operation, made possible by the fact that cards are no longer stored in a random fashion but instead in a semi-random manner.

In my United States patent application Serial No. 366,- 543, filed July 7, 1953, and entitled Method and Apparatus for Indexing Documents and the Like, there is disclosed an indexing machine of the same general nature as that which is contemplated by the present invention, the same using relatively large, thin, non-transparent flexible cards of metal, plastic, or other suitable material. A document having a certain accession number is entered on such a card by drilling a hole in a certain position which is dedicated to this accession number. Each of the cards to be indexed has the same position dedicated to the same accession number.

According to both the present invention and the invention of said co-pending patent application, in the event the documents are classified according to a classification system, each of the cards of the system may be assigned to one of the classes, subject headings or descriptive terms used in the system to index, that is to describe, each of the items of the complete information collection. For example, if it is desired to obtain from a file of reports on aircraft instrumentation indexed with descriptive terms, all reports which are concerned with the testing of supersonic airspeed indicators, the investigator would, in practicing the present invention, select the cards assigned to the term Testing or Test; the card assigned to the term Supersonic; and the card assigned to the term Airspeed Indicator; or, if this latter term is broken up into two separate terms, the investigator would select the card assigned to the term Airspeed and the card assigned to the term Indicator.

Classes, subclasses, phrases and one-word terms will be generally referred to hereinafter as terms. According to both the present invention and the invention of said co-pending patent application, all of the cards co-selected are superimposed and held against a source of light.

Whenever a hole is found through which the light emanates, the accession number corresponding to that hole represents a document involving the desired subject. Systems of this nature are well known in the art and no claim was laid thereto.

It is among the objects of the invention disclosed and claimed in patent application Serial No. 366,543 to provide a completely automatic apparatus for performing automatically functions of the class described hereinbefore.

However, the teachings of the invention of the said co-pending application comprehend a greatly simplified machine wherein the cards, in lieu of being assigned to terms, are assigned to symbols, or characters, such as letters, figures, and other symbols, as Well as to codes, the manner of which will be described hereinafter.

If the terms to be recorded have a maximum length of, for example, ten (10) letters, there will be utilized ten (10) basic character lists. Each of these basic character lists contains, for example, the twenty-six (26) letters of the alphabet, the numerals 0 to 9, and a few notations and marks, such as the and the and the a total of forty (40) basic characters in all. More basic characters might be added in the form of Roman numerals, the Greek alphabet, an alphabet of capitals, more notations, etc. Each of the basic characters is assigned a certain card in such a way that the letter a out of the first character list has a different card from the letter a out of the second character list, etc. Thus, a total of 10 40=400 cards is provided. To enter a document, for example, document No. 5219 dealing with the testing of supersonic airspeed indicators, the terms testing, supersonic, airspeed and indicators will have to be entered on the cards. In order to do this, the cards out of the first character list assigned to the first letters of the above terms, the t, the s, the a, and the i, will have to be selected. Out of the second basic character list, the cards assigned to the letters e, u, i, and n, will have to be selected. Out the third character list, it will be the cards assigned to the letters s, p, r, and d, etc. When all cards assigned to all the letters required to spell out these terms have thus been selected, they are superimposed and a hole is made which extends through all of the cards in the position dedicated to this document No. 5219.

A typical scheme for such a 10x40 array of characters and alphabets is more fully described in connection with FIG. 14 at the end of this specification.

The dedication of areas on the cards to the information items in the system can for example be based on a system of rectangular coordinates parallel to the edges of the cards and having their intersection at one corner of the cards. Position #5219 can in that case be found by starting at the intersection of the X and Y axes, moving 52 positions along for example the X-axis followed by a move parallel to the Y-axis of 19 positions.

In order to retrieve information very much the same procedure is followed. For example, if we want to have the document numbers of all documents containing information on the testing of supersonic airspeed indicators, the sheets corresponding to letters of these terms will be selected and placed in superimposition against a source of light. The places where light will then be visible through coinciding holes, then correspond to documents containing such information. The coordinates of these coinciding holes can be read off by a special scannecessary number of cards by utilizing a code for the terms, instead of using the Words themselves. For ex- 3 ample, there might be used a field of (240) code positions divided in, for example, 4 subfields of (60) positions each. Each term would be represented by a code pattern of 4 positions selected among these 240 positions in such a manner that one position of this pattern belongs in the first subfield, another position in the second subfield etc. There are more than enough possible code patterns of this nature in a field of 240 to cover all possible requirements. There is a card dedicated to each of these 240 code positions. These cards are kept together in groups similar to the earlier discussed alphabets. Each group would then consist of 60 randomly filed cards. To enter the document, all cards corresponding to all terms characterizing this are superimposed and a hole is made at the dedicated position corresponding to the accession number of the document.

While in said co-pending application all cards are stored in a completely random manner, and certain cards are selected from among the total by means of a suitable selection mechanism, the present invention provides for storage in definite groups with randomness only within such groups. This arrangement greatly simplifies selection methods and devices, as a result of which an appara-tus of much lower cost can be obtained.

The present invention particularly applies to the selection of cards, and the manner in which information is entered upon or read out from the selected superimposed cards will therefore not be dealt with in this present invention.

The manner in which the selection of cards can, according to the present invention, be performed will now be described with reference to the following figures:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a corner of a deck of cards on which information is stored.

FIG. 2 shows a perspective view of a card holder in which =3. number of such decks of cards can be stored.

FIG. 3 shows a front view of a tilted card holder with the card holder and cards adapted for selection and removal by means of needles.

FIG. 4 shows a corner of the apparatus of FIG. 3 with one card in the selected position.

FIG. 5 shows another corner of the apparatus of FIG. 3 with one card in the selected position.

FIG. 6 shows a cross-section of a card storage and selector device adapted to allow selection of cards by pushing certain buttons.

FIG. 7 shows a cross-section of the apparatus of FIG. 6, along the plane 77.

FIG. 8 shows a top-view of the apparatus of FIGS. 6 and 7.

FIG. 9 shows a view partly in section of the selection hooks of the apparatus of FIGS. 6, 7, and 8, in greater detail.

FIG. 10 shows a view partly in cross-section of a selector hook operated by a solenoid.

FIG. 11 shows a circuit diagram of the actuation of the selector hooks via a stepping switch, by switches mounted under the keys of a typewriter and actuated by the same.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show respectively a top-view and a side-view, partly in section, of a selector cabinet having provisions to bring the selected cards automatically together in superimposition.

FIG. 14 shows schematically the manner in which the cards in the system can be dedicated to letters of the alphabet.

We now refer to FIGS. 1 and 2. According to the present invention all cards 1 forming together one alphabet are stored together in one compartment. Each card is provided with a tab 2, the position of this tab corresponding to the letter of the alphabet to which this card is dedicated. For example, if a tab has a width of 4, all tabs of cards dedicated to the letter A are placed at the extreme left of the top edge of the cards. All tabs on cards dedicated to the letter B could be placed 1" the letter B, etc.

to the right of the tabs on the cards dedicated to A. All tabs on cards dedicated to the letter C could be placed A4" to the right of the tabs on the cards dedicated to The corner of the top edge of such a group of 26 cards is shown in FIG. 1. All tabs are of course marked with the letter to which they are dedicated. Numerals 2.07 designate holes in the cards corresponding to the date entered in the same in the manner described above.

FIG. 2 shows how, according to the invention, these groups of 26 cards each can be placed in a separate compartment of a card holder. Each compartment is marked with markings 4, 5, and 6, indicating that all the cards of the first alphabet go into the first compartment and all cards of the second alphabet go into the second compartment, etc. For greater convenience all tabs of cards belonging to the first alphabet can, for example, be painted white, all tabs of cards belonging to the second alphabet yellow, etc., a different color for each alphabet.

Standing in front of the card holder facing the tabs, identical letters are always found in the same line of sight even if the cards are placed randomly within one compartment. Thus the cards spelling out certain terms can be rapidly selected, and after use be placed back randomly within each compartment. Terms can be spelled out one by one until all cards together spelling out all terms have been removed.

FIG. 3 shows a section of a different modification of device, according to the present invention, allowing selection with much greater rapidity. Here all cards 101 have tabs 192. provided with holes 11. All cards are also provided with a notch 9 and a needling hole .10. The card holder 7 is tilted at approximately 45 and is provided with a ridge over which the notch 9 of the cards can be hooked. Terms can now be spelled out one by one, merely by hooking the corresponding cards by the notch 9 over the ridge 8. After all terms have been thus spelled out, a needle can be speared through the holes 10 of the selected cards, which may then in one movement all at the same time be removed from the card holder and used either for information entry or information retrieval. FIGS. 4 and 5 show respectively the right and left hand top corner of the device with cards designated by numeral 101 in the normal position and a card designated by numeral 12 in the selected position. The tabs are at least twice as high as the displacement required to hook the cards over notch 9. The markings are on the top half.

When the tabs are small compared to the size of the fingers it may be more convenient to perform the above described displacement of the cards with the aid of a little hook, held in the hand, which can be hooked into the holes 11, in order to displace the cards. The card 101, in FIG. 3, dedicated to the letter F shows a number of data holes, 201, 203, 2494, 205, and 2 16, that is holes corresponding to the date entered in the system. The dedication of areas on the items of information is shown in dashed lines 20% If the cards can comprise one hundred rows of one hundred areas each, 201 would be the area dedicated to item of information #1 and numeral 202 would designate the area dedicated to item #2. Area 204 would be dedicated to item and area 205 to item #IQOOO.

A still more automatic operation can, according to the invention, be obtained with the device of FIGS. 6, 7, and 8. FIG. 6 shows a section of this machine. The cards 103 again have tabs 104 spaced in the same manner as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The tabs have holes 111. Each of the cards has a hole lit} by which cards can be withdrawn from the device by means of a needle. Numerals 24 and 25 designate two alphabets of cards sitting in their compartments of the cardholder 52. Each alphabet has its own compartment. Numerals 23, 22, and 21 designate vacant compartments. Corresponding with each of these five alphabets are five rows of 26 hooks, each designated respectively by numerals 28, 29, 30, 31, and 32. Each alphabet therefore has its own row of hooks and each card in each alphabet has its own hook. A spring and ball mechanism 33 holds these hooks in either a lower or higher position. Some of the hooks in FIGS. 6 and 7 are in the lower and some in the higher position. All hooks are suitably marked with the alphabet and letter of the alphabet to which they correspond as shown in FIG. 8. Thus the tops of the hooks provide a matrixkeyboard on which the terms can be typed out one by one by depressing these hooks. The member 27 in which the hooks are mounted has four rollers 36 which run on two members 26. These rollers can be raised or lowered by means of eccenter 34 or some other suitable means. After the terms have been punched out on this keyboard, member 27 can be rolled to the left so that the pins 35 of the lowered selection hooks can penetrate into the holes 111 of the tabs 104 of the desired cards. Next, member 27 can be raised by raising members 26. This allows a long needle to spear the selected cards through their holes 110. Member 27 can then be rolled to the right so that the books 35 are withdrawn from the holes 111. Next, the door 37 hinging on hinge 138 can be opened and the selected cards can be pulled out on the needles. The selected cards can then be used for information entry or retrieval. Cards can be placed back randomly within their compartments, but each card should go back in the same compartment it came from.

The selection hooks can be raised again by lowering member 27 below the position shown in FIG. 6, so that the selection hooks are pushed against the tops of the separators 38, separating the card compartments, and will thus be raised with relation to member 27.

FIG. 9 shows a selection hook in more detail. A pin 39 cooperating with slot 40 prevents the selection hook from turning. Button 41 facilitates the pulling up of the selector hook in making corrections.

FIG. shows a solenoid operated selection hook. When solenoid 44 is actuated it pulls in its slug 46 against the pressure of spring 45, thus allowing spring 43 to lower the selection hook. When the selection hook is raised again, in the same manner as described for FIG. 9, the spring 45 pushes the stem 46 of the slug of the solenoid 44 back in groove 42. Thus the selection hook is held in the raised position by the stem 46, against the pressure of spring 43.

According to the invention the selector hooks can also be actuated electrically by a conventional typewriter. A circuit diagram of this electric actuation is shown in FIG. 11. Numeral 5i} designates switches placed under those keys of a typewriter corresponding to the 26 letters of the alphabet. Depressing a typewriter key will actuate one of these switches. A stepping switch has as many wiper arms 51 as there are switches 50. Each wiper arm serves as many contacts 56 as there are alphabets in the system. Each contact 56 connects to one of the solenoids 44, shown in FIG. 10. All wiper arms are mounted on the shaft 55. Solenoid 56' advances shaft 55 one contact position every time one of the switches 50 is actuated, via the ratchet mechanism 54. In this manner the proper solenoids 44 can be actuated by typing out the terms one by one on the keyboard of a typewriter or some other device having a suitable keyboard mechanism. Stepping switches are well known in the art and their mode of operation need not further be explained to those skilled in the art.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show a modification of the cardholder 52 in which the cards are stored. FIG. 12 is a top view of this modification and FIG. 13 is a partial section and partial front view according to the section line 1313 of FIG. 12. According to the invention, this modified cardholder comprises provisions to bring the selected cards automatically tightly together for information entry or retrieval and allows the cards to be moved automatically back into the proper compartments. In

6 FIGS. 12 and 13 the selection mechanism and the mechanism to raise and lower the bank of selector hooks 27 is not shown. However, this selection mechanism is similar to that of FIGS. 6, 7, and 8 and operates in the same manner. It is mounted over the card storage compartments 121, 122, 123, etc., in a manner similar to FIGS. 6, 7, and 8.

A vertically movable bar 57 is during the selection process in the position shown in FIG. 13. The cardholder is very sirnilar to the cardholder 52 in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8. It comprises a number of card compartments, 121, 122, 123, etc., in FIG. 12, separated by solid sections 139. Numeral 124 designates a card compartment fi lled with cards; the others are vacant. Each of the storage compartments extends sideways into curved channels 64. Each of the separators 139 likewise extends sideways into curved separators 58. These separators terminate in thin flexible sheets 59.

The cards 10'5 again feature tabs 106 each having a hole 121. The tabs 106 are again spaced in the manner described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. All cards comprise a hole 120 for moving the selected cards by means of a needle.

After the selection of cards has taken place, by means of the selection mechanism, described with reference to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8, the selected cards can be needled through the holes 120 by means of needle 61 and pulled out sideways by the needle onto platform 61. When the selected cards are on this platform 61, these superimposed cards can be scanned for coinciding holes, or holes can be drilled into these same cards to enter information. The cards are only pulled so far that the edges of the flexible sheets 59 remain over a short distance between the selected cards. FIGS. 12 and 13 show the device with a number of selected cards pulled sideways out on platform.

Before returning the cards to their compartments, the flaps 62, pivotally mounted in the wall of the card selector 152 and the separators 139 of this selector, are opened to push the cards remaining in the compartments 12.1, 122, 123 and 124 over to one side. Next, the cards are, by means of the needle 60, pushed back to the slot in 'which the bar 57 is mounted. Next, the flaps 63 pivotally mounted in the curved extensions 58' of the separators .139 are opened. Next, the cards are pushed into their compartments until they touch the flaps 62. After this, the flaps 62 and 63 can be closed and the cards be pushed back entirely into their compartments. The cards 105, visible in FIG. 13, show a number of data holes 209.

FIG. 14 illustrates schematically, in tabular form, one typical way in which individual cards can be dedicated to letters of the alphabet, numerals, symbols et cetera in the systematic fashion required. The left-hand vertical column I in FIG. 14 has positions assigned to the possible letters, numerals and symbols constituting the first character list, that is, the alphabet from which the initial letter, or numeral, or symbol of a descriptive term is selected. The remaining nine columns, marked by the Roman numerals II through X, have the same vertical position assignments of letters, numerals and signs, but column II represents the group or alphabet from which is selected the second character of the descriptive term, and so on.

Each of the positions in the first column (I) of FIG. 14 represents an individual card in the group 4 of FIG. 2, and the positions in the second column represent respective cards of group 5 of FIG. 2, and so on. The cards to be selected from the respective decks and superposed to receive (or exhibit) code holes for a document under the descriptive term DECCA-9/AC have been indicated in FIG. 14 by heavy margins, by way of example.

While I have shown and described certain specific embodiments of the present invention, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that I do not limit myself exactly thereto, since various modifications may be made Without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. -In a record selection apparatus for selecting from a plurality of decks of selectively edge-tabbed record cards those cards tabbed at specified positions, and in which each tab is provided with an opening capable of being engaged by a card tab hook, comprising: container means for supporting a plurality of decks of such cards in parallel aligned facing relation with the opposed faces of adjacent decks spaced from one another by spacers providing inter-deck spaces to dispose all of the card tabs in a rectangular array of rows and columns as viewed from above said tabs, a movable panel mounted parallel to the plane of the tab array, a plurality of card tab hooks symmetrically disposed and movably mounted individually on said panel for movement to and from card tab-selecting positions Within the inter-deck spaces, means mounting said panel for movement in a direction carrying all of said hooks to and from tab-engaging positions, and means for moving said panel in a direction parallel to the planes of said cards to displace from their respective decks all of the cards whose tabs have been engaged by any of said hooks.

2. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, in which each of said hooks comprises a portion passing through said movable panel and reciprocable therethrough, each of said hooks having an extremity for digital operation whereby all of said hooks form a keyboard to facilitate selecting the desired hooks to be moved to card-selecting positions.

3. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, in which the card-supporting container means comprises a compartmented cabinet having one wall movable to expose, for ed gewise removal, those cards displaced from their respective decks.

4. Apparatus in accordance with claim 1, including means operable automatically upon return of said panel from its card-displacing position, for restoring all said hooks, theretofore moved to their tab-selecting positions, away from such positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 564,1-17 Stamford July 14, 1896 583,227 Gunn May 25, 1897 1,033,193 Prosser July 23, 1912 1,317,684 Brown et a1 Oct. 7, 1919 1,340,384 Downing May 18, 1920 1,351,692 Soper Aug. 31, 1920 1,533,698 Cox Apr. 14, 1925 2,217,744 Gruenhut Oct. 15, 1940 2,389,343 Connor Nov. 20, 1945 2,492,910 Welk Dec. 27, 1949 2,541,247 Herr Feb. 13, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS 820,786 France Aug. 9, 1937 508,589 Great Britain July 4, 1939 915,894 France Aug. 5, 1946 

1. IN A RECORD SELECTION APPARATUS FOR SELECTING FROM A PLURALITY OF DECKS OF SELECTIVELY EDGE-TABBED RECORD CARDS THOSE CARDS TABBED AT SPECIFIED POSITIONS, AND IN WHICH EACH TAB IS PROVIDED WITH AN OPENING CAPABLE OF BEING ENGAGED BY A CARD TAB HOOK, COMPRISING: CONTAINER MEANS FOR SUPPORTING A PLURALITY OF DECKS OF SUCH CARDS IN PARALLEL ALIGNED FACING RELATION WITH THE OPPOSED FACES OF ADJACENT DECKS SPACED FROM ONE ANOTHER BY SPACERS PROVIDING INTER-DECK SPACES TO DISPOSE ALL OF THE CARD TABS IN A RECTANGULAR ARRAY OF ROWS AND COLUMNS AS VIEWED FROM ABOVE SAID TABS, A MOVABLE PANEL MOUNTED PARALLEL TO THE PLANE OF THE TAB ARRAY, A PLURALITY OF CARD TAB HOOKS SYMMETRICALLY DISPOSED AND MOVABLY MOUNTED INDIVIDUALLY ON SAID PANEL FOR MOVEMENTS TO AND FROM CARD TAB-SELECT ING POSITIONS WITHIN THE INTER-DECK SPACES, MEANS MOUNTING SAID PANEL FOR MOVEMENT IN A DIRECTION CARRYING ALL OF SAID HOOKS TO AND FROM TAB-ENGAGING POSITIONS, AND MEANS FOR MOVING SAID PANEL IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE PLANES OF SAID CARDS TO DISPLACE FROM THEIR RESPECTIVE DECKS ALL OF THE CARDS WHOSE TABS HAVE BEEN ENGAGED BY ANY OF SAID HOOKS. 